Some say storytelling
is at the heart of social life and personal identity. It is common
today to speak of political candidates' "competing narratives,"
or of a group or culture's need to invent "a new narrative"
for changing times. Stories are embedded in our commercials and
our newscasts. Ancient narratives of humiliation and revenge are
said to drive the lives of millions. New and emerging technologies
have given global reach to stories old and new.

This fourth
Media in Transition conference explores storytelling as a cultural
practice, a social and political activity as well as an art form.

We want to talk
about why some stories last, how they migrate across media forms
within their own societies as well as other cultures and historical
eras. We hope to encourage speculation about the ways in which stories
are deployed in periods of media in transition, and about the way
some stories easily inhabit different media simultaneously while
other stories seem less adaptable.

We aim to stimulate
a conversation among scholars, journalists and media professionals
who may often speak only to their own tribal groups.